


twelve days of christmas

by WattStalf



Category: 91 Days (Anime), Baccano!, Durarara!!, Watchmen - All Media Types, ヴぁんぷ! - 成田良悟 | Vamp! Series - Narita Ryohgo, 越佐大橋シリーズ | Etsusa Bridge Series - Narita Ryohgo
Genre: Christmas, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-08 19:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8857141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WattStalf/pseuds/WattStalf
Summary: Twelve Christmas-themed drabbles.





	1. christmas tree (Caldimir x Zygmunt)

**Author's Note:**

> Pretend I actually posted this on the fourteenth, because I totally had this written and then worked all day and forgot to post it when I came home. Anyway, here's some Vamp! trash.

They've been together for a little while now; at least, they've been together long enough that spending Christmas together is something that both of them are comfortable with. At least, Zygmunt accepts the invitation, and the two set aside any other work on Christmas Eve, so that they can spend the night and the next day together, like any real couple would.

Of course, being a couple is still new to them, even after they've been together for long enough that it shouldn't be. After all, Caldimir hasn't had the best luck in love, and Zygmunt...well, she never put any thought into such things until long after she began to develop feelings for him, and even then, she had never planned on acting on them. Now that they've somehow managed to figure each other out and end up here, together, they both have a lot of adjusting to do.

But, whatever the case, they agree to spend Christmas together, and they agree to not focus on anything to do with their work and his schemes. Because their relationship began as a professional one, it's hard to leave that dynamic out, though, of course, most of their time together is spent doing things that are anything but professional.

He wonders, but still doesn't dare to hope, if there will be anything like that tonight. Even still, even after how far they've come, he doesn't dare to hope for that, what with how reserved she is, but he certainly wonders, especially considering this is supposed to be a romantic occasion for themselves.

He's thinking about this when she arrives, but doesn't think he should start doing anything that might suggest he's interested in that until much later. Instead, he lets her in and helps her out of her coat, like he's sure any decent gentleman would. Perhaps later, perhaps if he can set the mood a little better...

But then he sees her staring at something, ignoring everything he says. He follows her line of sight and it doesn't take long to figure out that what she's gawking at is his Christmas tree.

“It's fake,” he says quickly.

“Are you sure?” she asks, and she doesn't break her gaze.

“Of course, I wouldn't...I haven't had a real one in decades,” he replies. Still, she stares at it, and Caldimir clears his throat. “Is it really that much of a problem?”

“If it's not real, then it isn't,” she says, reaching out to touch one of the branches. When she pulls her hand back, she turns to him at last, as if nothing happened. Still, he thinks that this will probably offset the mood for a little while.

 


	2. snowball fight (Vanno x Fio)

It starts with Vanno and Nero lobbing snowballs at each other, but things escalate when Fio and Frate get caught in the crossfire. Naturally, Vanno is at that age where he is desperate to get Fio to notice him, so he aims all of his shots at her after a certain point, ignoring the continued assault from Nero or the way Frate tries to team up with him. His focus is entirely on the girl, until she bursts into frustrated tears and tells him he's not being fair.

“I don't even wanna play with you!” she declares before storming inside. Nero laughs and Frate chases after her, and Vanno feels absolutely terrible for the rest of the day, though Fio seems to forget she's angry at him quickly enough.

Still, this is when he begins to realize that his efforts to get her attention usually end in her getting upset with him, and he starts to think that he needs to come up with new methods, if he's ever going to get anywhere with her. As they grow, he holds back more and more, until he's hardly doing anything to get her attention at all, but still, he hopes that this will be what it takes to get her to fall for him.

One day, she's out and he offers, impulsively, to be the one to go get her and walk her home. It's cold, and he wishes he brought a car, even though it's a short enough walk. He can't help worrying about Fio, and worrying if she's going to be too cold. Whatever the case, he doesn't bring a car and the two walk together, talking about nothing in particular, when she suddenly breaks off from him.

Vanno doesn't realize what she's doing until he's hit, square in the chest, with a snowball. Fio giggles, asking him if he remembers the time they had the snowball fight, and if she remembers that he made her cry. He hangs his head, admitting it's the most embarrassing memory he has.

Stepping closer to him, looking up at him, she says, “Well, I think I got my payback, don't you?”

That night, the two of them share their first kiss.

 


	3. family christmas (Dan x Laurie)

Laurie is more enthusiastic about Christmas than Dan is. But, then again, he didn't grow up with it like she did. He grew up with it being something that other children celebrated, while his family had their own traditions to follow.

However, for Laurie, it holds some of her happiest memories- though there are unhappy ones and there are mixed ones, such as the year she woke up to hear her parents fighting, and though she got in trouble for being awake, it wasn't much longer that Larry finally left, so in a way, it's a happy one. She wants the two of them to celebrate Christmas together, because it's important to her, and because she feels bad for him, having to grow up without being able to celebrate it.

He doesn't really care at first, but when he sees just how excited she is, he decides, for her sake, he'll go along with whatever it is that she wants to do. When he gets home some days, she's gone overboard with new decorations, and she plays Christmas music on the radio whenever she has the chance, though she usually ends up yelling at the lyrics, questioning whatever ones she thinks are stupid.

“You know,” she says one day when she's had a bit to drink, “my mom has a Christmas record. One year, she actually got record some songs, you know?”

“Oh? Do you still have that one?”

“Nah, I think I lost it. She'd be pissed if she knew, though, so don't tell her!”

He gets roped into helping with her preparations, and, as time goes on, he does start to get into the spirit. It's contagious, in a way, and he knows that she's doing all of this for him, to make up for lost time. The two of them don't have much in the way of family anymore, but they have each other, and, if anything, Christmas is about family. So they go through the motions together, and she teaches him traditions- most of which she decides to scrap- and they come up with new ones- most of which involve her making fun of said scrapped traditions- and the two of them celebrate Christmas together, year after year.

 


	4. ribbons and bows (Shinra x Celty)

“You sure have had a lot of deliveries here lately,” says Shinra, stating the obvious as he stares at the stack of boxes. Celty sits next to it, and pulls one off the top to open it and check the contents.

With one hand, she types to him, “ _Well, it's almost Christmas, you know? I wanted to get something for all of our friends and, since I can't exactly go out and buy things, I had to do all my shopping online._ ”

“These are _all_ Christmas presents?” he asks. “Who all did you shop for?”

“ _I got something for Anri and for Mikado, and then a little something for their friend and his girlfriend, even though I really don't know them all that well. There's something for Seiji and Mika, something for Kadota, for Karisawa and Yumasaki, for...their other friend, for Shizuo, Emilia, and, of course, something for you._ ”

“Nothing for Izaya, huh?”

“ _As if he would be easy to shop for._ ”

“I want to be surprised that you got something for my stepmother, but since you got something for _her_ and not for dad, I really can't say I'm too surprised. What did you get for her, anyway?”

“ _One of those World's Best Mom_ _coffee mugs. I even ordered it from America_.”

“She's going to love that. Really, she's going to be so excited that you might not be able to shake her for the rest of the day. Just a warning.” Shinra comes in closer while she continues to open her boxes and asks, “So, what did you get me?”

“ _It's a secret. It came in already, so I hid it somewhere. Why don't you help me wrap everyone else's presents?_ ”

“Don't you even have a hint for me?”

“ _No! That ruins the point of it being a surprise. Either get to work or quit bothering me._ ”

Shinra sulks, but he helps her wrap her presents anyway, and the two of them fall silent as they work together. It doesn't take long for them to both make considerable progress, and soon enough, the stack of gifts has almost completely disappeared. It is while Shinra is tying a bow on one of them that he speaks up again.

“You know, this gives me an idea,” he says. “You didn't have to buy me anything, because you know? You're the best present there is.”

Touched, Celty says, “ _That's a really sweet thing to say._ ” There is a pause before she types again. “ _But, what was it that made you think of that?_ ”

“Because of all these ribbons, of course! Though, I suppose you could make one out of shadows and that would be nice too...I think the traditional color for that sort of thing is red, but you know I'll never complain!” he exclaims.

“ _What are you going on about?_ ”

“You know! Waking up on Christmas morning to find you almost completely naked, except for a large ribbon covering the bare essentials, tied in a bow on your chest! ' _Your present is me~_ ,' you'll type, and I'll- ow, ow, ow!”

He isn't able to finish his sentence, or really say much of anything else, for a long while after that, as she does what she can to try to knock some sense into him.

 


	5. caroling (Isaac x Miria x Nice x Jacuzzi)

Caroling is, naturally, Isaac's idea, but of course, it catches like wildfire.

Or, at least, Miria is so enthused about it that it's hard to not match her enthusiasm, even though Jacuzzi isn't so sure the four of them will be welcome, singing from doorstep to doorstep. Well, maybe Isaac and Miria might be, seeing as how they find a way to make themselves welcome nearly everywhere they go, and how they simply exude holiday cheer, but when it comes to him and Nice, he isn't so sure.

The tattoo on his face makes it plain to all who see him that he isn't on the right side of the law, no matter how often his friends try to assure him that he's not so bad, all things considered. Nice has an appearance that is no less conspicuous, and he thinks that she'll be reluctant about the idea as well, but she surprises him by catching onto the excitement fairly quickly.

“It's gonna make them so happy,” she says. “Besides, it's been a while since we've done something special for Christmas, right?”

When he thinks about it that way, it's really impossible for him to say no, and impossible to avoid growing excited as he thinks about how happy the three of them are going to be. In the days leading up to their designated night to go caroling, Isaac and Miria are hard at work, designing matching outfits that they think perfectly suit the four of them at Christmastime, though they don't let Nice or Jacuzzi look at them beforehand, because they don't want to spoil the surprise.

Of course, once they're finally unveiled, the outfits are about as gaudy and festive as one might expect, but they seem to have put a lot of thought into making sure they would be warm on the cold night out. All in all, the thought is there, and Jacuzzi slowly begins to forget his reluctance.

It's their first Christmas with all four of them together like this, and it's okay that they might be going a little overboard, considering it's a special occasion. And when they stand out in the cold, singing through a little book of carols that Miria supplied- and those two, unsurprisingly, have voices befitting the theatre, while both Nice and Jacuzzi can't even read music- they're warm despite the chill, and not just because of their thick caroling costumes.

When Jacuzzi feels Isaac's hand brushing against his, he takes it, and then he takes Nice's hand in his, and he doesn't have to look to know Miria is holding hands with Isaac, and when they start to walk on to their next destination, Miria runs along behind them so that she can hold Nice's hand this time. They rearrange during their night of caroling, and Jacuzzi gets the chance to link hands with each of them.

 


	6. secret santa (Zhang)

Christmas isn't really that special of an occasion for him, or at least, it wouldn't be, if he were left alone for the day. As things are now, Zhang usually gets roped in to some ridiculous celebration or other for the holiday, and this year, he finds his teammates arguing over a gift exchange.

It seems that, as usual, Gitarin's got a ridiculous idea in his head, and now everyone is bickering, trying to figure out the details. This year, he wants the Guard Team to do a secret Santa, and has to explain what it is to Zhang, claiming that he's already had to explain it to the others at least five times.

“Then don't come up with ideas no one else understands,” he snaps in reply.

And then the argument resumes, as some debate whether or not they'll even be able to get decent gifts for anyone, while others claim that they don't trust anyone in this room to _give_ anything decent, even if they could find something. The issues of who will get assigned and who will do the assigning and who should be banned from participating get thrown around, until it becomes very clear that the secret Santa was a very, very bad idea.

Zhang listens to them and watches them, and can already feel a headache coming on, even this early in the day. With a sigh, he decides that it's not worth hanging around, and he turns right back around and leaves. When he returns, the subject of secret Santa has been dropped entirely, and they're on about something entirely different. The Christmas season is always eventful, despite his attempts to keep things simple for himself.

 


	7. ice skating (Seiji x Mika)

Seiji helps Mika tie on the laces on her ice skates, even though it's difficult for him to do so after already putting on his own skates. That's just the kind of gentlemanly thing he does, and one of the many reasons she adores him so much. It's their first Christmas together, and even though he continues to tell her that he doesn't love her, it is still the most romantic way she can imagine spending the holiday.

Because, no matter what he says, he still chose to spend Christmas with her.

“Do you know how to skate at all?” he asks her.

“A little bit. I haven't been in years, but I've been thinking a lot about it since we decided to come here for our date. I don't want to drag you down too much, after all!” she replies. “Though spending the whole day clinging to your arm sounds amazing!”

“Just make sure you don't do anything too risky,” he says, completely brushing off her last comment. “If you need to stay close to the wall, then that's fine.”

Standing, he helps her up and the two hobble to the rink. Seiji gets down on the ice first and helps Mika, and the two of them begin to skate together, arm in arm. However, despite claiming to not know much, it quickly becomes clear that Mika has really done her homework, and Seiji can tell that he's the one holding her back.

“But I don't want to skate if it's not with you!” she protests, when he tells her this.

“I'll still be here, I'll just be watching you,” he replies. “It's not like I'm gonna run off and ditch you.”

“I'd still rather be holding onto your arm,” she says with a pout.

“I just want to see what all you can do,” he says, and her eyes light up at his words. Of course, if it means she has a chance to try to impress him, she doesn't mind letting go of him.

“Alright, but only for a little bit!” she declares before gliding off, catching the attention of several others in the process. He knows that she's beautiful to others for different reasons- to him, it is only because she resembles the one he loves- and that she would have done well for herself even before changing her face, but he also knows that he has nothing to worry about, in terms of rivals for her affection.

Of course, he doesn't _need_ to worry about anyone vying for her; really, it would be better if she were stolen away from him by somebody who could actually return her affections. He knows this and, yet, when he catches people staring at her while she skates, he can't help but feel a little relieved that she's so devoted.

 


	8. naughty or nice (Eddie x Sally)

“So, what have you been this year?” asks Sally. “Naughty or nice?”

“I don't think you need me to answer that for ya,” replies Eddie with a laugh.

“Oh, don't be so hard on yourself,” she teases. “I've known you for years, haven't I? I think you're a lot nicer now than you once were.”

“I don't know about that. I think you just got a bias, huh?” He nibbles at her ear as he chuckles. “If anyone's been nice this year, it's you.”

“I think _you're_ the one who has a bias.” She giggles at him. “Look at me. I'm a married woman, you know.”

“Don't remind me,” he says with a groan. “But doesn't that make me the naughty one? I'm the one who tempted that married woman.”

“That still doesn't make me nice.”

“I dunno...given someone like me another chance? Sounds pretty nice to me.”

“Until you remember I'm just using you, because I can't stand my husband.”

“Ya say that, but somehow that isn't the impression I get,” he says, brushing of what she says as if it doesn't mean a thing to him.

“Whatever you want to believe.”

“C'mon, Sal...ya can't really expect me to think that's all this is. You an' I both know it's more than that,” says Eddie.

“You're giving me too much credit. I think you just think I'm much nicer than I actually am and you don't want to believe that I'm really this selfish,” she replies. “And isn't thinking the best of me when I don't deserve it make you nice?”

“See, now we're back on the topic of why _you're_ nice,” he mutters. “Givin' me too much credit.”

“And you're giving me too much credit.”

“Then maybe we're both nice, or...”

“Or maybe we're both naughty.”

“You're still spendin' Christmas with me,” he points out.

“Rather than my own husband,” she argues.

“Then naughty an' nice are subjective!”

“That's a pretty big word for you, isn't it?”

Bursting out laughing, he says, “Maybe it is.”

“How about you do me a favor and shut up?” she asks, turning to give him a meaningful look.

Of course, he didn't come over to _talk_ , and so, he simply grins and says, “With pleasure.”

 


	9. shiver (Erika x Kasane x Walker)

When she sees Kasane give a shiver, Erika grins and looks over to Walker to see if he's noticed as well. He grins back at her and the two of them nod, picking up speed until they're both at her side, and then they wrap their arms around her from either side, causing her to stop as they embrace her.

“What are you doing?” she asks them, not showing much reaction, but Erika knows her well enough by now to know that she must be flustered.

“You're cold!” Erika exclaims.

“Yeah, we've gotta warm you up,” Walker adds.

“Hugging me in the middle of the sidewalk seems awfully inconvenient,” she replies. “Not to mention, doing something like this in public...”

“It's so cute when Kujichi gets all shy, isn't it?”

“Absolutely classic to her character type!”

“Wha- Yumachi! We never decided what character type she was!”

“ _You_ just didn't agree, that doesn't mean my decision doesn't still stand!”

“But your decision was wrong!”

They bicker like this, all without letting go of Kasane, and all still in the middle of the sidewalk. People stare, but this is something that neither Erika nor Walker pay much heed to, and Kasane is growing all too accustomed to how much attention the two draw. And while they bicker, she stands between them, her expression never wavering, but she can't deny that they've warmed her up considerably.

 


	10. silent night (Watt x Pirie)

Pirie probably, genuinely, sincerely believes she's doing him a favor by coming by to spend Christmas Eve with him. She probably thinks that, by coming by in the night, that she's brightening his holiday, or whatever, and she probably believes that she's going to spread some Christmas cheer his way.

Watt does not necessarily agree with this. If he were a kinder person, he might have put up with it without a word, and not had the heart to tell her such, but, in fact, he is not a very kind person at all, and he has no qualms about telling her exactly how he feels.

"You know, I really don't remember inviting you over."

"Yeah, but! But, see, I knew you wouldn't invite anyone over, and I knew you would be alone! So here I am!" She grins like she's so damn proud of herself and he groans.

"Well, I actually have work to get caught up on, so if you could just fuck off and let me get down to that..."

"It's Christmas Eve! Isn't everyone off for the holidays?"

"Everyone but me, which means I've got all the extra shit to do."

"But you could have taken off too, couldn't you?"

She's caught him there. Sure, he could have, but what else was he going to do? Better to give the rest of town hall a few extra days and pick up the slack; better to look like a gracious and hardworking mayor, all while not having to face the holidays by himself.

"And what for? Don't know if you fucking noticed, but I'm not overflowing with Christmas spirit."

"I could fix that, you know," she murmurs, and tries to slide her arms around his waist. Of course, he shoves he off of him without hesitation, and she pouts. "You're so mean! Mean! You're a regular Scrooge, you know that?"

"I sure am."

She's quiet for a moment, a rare blessing, but she more than makes up for that when she bursts into song. Ironically enough, the first song that comes to mind for her is Silent Night, which she belts, slightly off key.

"Hey, cut that out!" he snaps. "Shut the fuck up, will ya?"

Trailing off, she pouts again and says, "I just thought caroling might get you in the spirit."

"I've got a better idea. We could try that out, you know? A silent fucking night."

"Mean, mean, meanie!" She somehow worms her way in between him and his desk so that she can beat on his chest with her fists, and he makes to shove her again. Immediately, she recoils, sliding back out. "But...you know, I just wanted to spend Christmas together..."

He doesn't know why he feels guilty. After all, he's done a good job thus far of convincing himself that he doesn't care about her or her feelings for him. But he does feel guilty, or, at least, guilty enough to say, "You can stay for a little bit, okay? But just a little bit, alright, Clown? And you gotta at least try not to annoy me too much."

She cheers so loudly and so immediately that he knows already she won't be able to manage that, but he just sighs and lets it be.


	11. baby, it's cold outside (Shingen x Emilia x Egor)

"There's only one way tonight can end," says Shingen. It's Christmas Eve, and he and his wife are having a friend over. However, their intentions are not entirely pure.

"We've got to seduce him," replies Emilia with a nod and a smile much too sweet to match their scheming. The couple has had this goal in mind for quite some time, and tonight, they're determined to make it happen.

And so, when Egor arrives for a Christmas Eve dinner, they pull all the stops out. Emilia is right behind him to take his coat and hat, Shingen pulls out his chair for him in the dining room, the bring out one of their finer wines, reserved for special occasions like this, and all the while, they keep an eye on the window, watching as the snow gets worse and worse. By the time dinner is over, it looks like a blizzard outside, and Emilia begs their guest to stay to watch one of her favorite Christmas specials.

She and Shingen have spent Christmas alone before, and if it turned out that way again, it isn't as if that would be such a bad thing. However, they've been doing all they can to get closer to Egor, and they've both agreed that, if they can make him a part of things, then that would be ideal. Emilia isn't shy about cuddling up to him while they watch television together, and Shingen is on her other side, still keeping an eye on the weather.

Finally, the credits start to roll and Egor rises, showing no outward signs that he's aware of what they're trying to do, though he must be by now, of course. But all he says is, "Well, it's rather late. I should be heading out."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," replies Shingen, his voice suddenly taking on a grave tone.

"Have you seen outside?" asks Emilia.

"Yes, it's been snowing since I got here," he replies.

"It's really coming down out there!"

"It's probably not safe."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," says Egor. "I've had to deal with much worse conditions before."

"But, you know, it's below freezing out there!" Shingen exclaims.

"30 degrees," his wife adds.

"That's around negative one in Celsius," he translates.

Egor, however, continues to brush them off. "I'm very much used to it, there's nothing to worry about."

"But imagine! I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if you died out there!" He doesn't seem to care that he's being melodramatic, and Emilia just nods along with him.

"We insist," she says earnestly.

"Don't make us steal your coat!" her husband threatens.

"You know," says Egor, "if you just want me to stay, you could always ask."

Though their seduction doesn't go exactly to plan, the couple is happy that it worked out just fine, in the end.


	12. mistletoe (Ladd x Lua)

Sitting in front of the fireplace, Lua leans back into Ladd's arms, and the two of them watch the flames crackle against the wood. He can't see her eyes, but he imagines the way the light would reflect in their near-emptiness, the way she would watch, almost entranced. Sighing in contentment, he thinks he's had a very good Christmas indeed.

"Didja get everything you wanted this year?" he asks teasingly, tightening his embrace.

"You know I didn't," she replies.

"Aw, you're gonna break my heart, you know?" He laughs. "Really, Lua, I did my best, but you know I can't give you that yet! Maybe next Christmas, huh?"

"Maybe sooner?"

"Maybe! Or maybe later. Maybe the Christmas after that, or the Christmas after that..."

"You're awful."

"Ain't I just?"

He's only able to sit in silence for a few moments after that before he speaks again. "Well, we never had a kiss under the mistletoe, now, did we?" She shakes her head and he sighs. "I don't have any of that hanging up, so I totally forgot! 'Course, I don't need an excuse to kiss you, do I? No, no, no, we can just pretend! You won't mind, will ya?"

"It's all the same to me," his fiancée murmurs.

"Did you know mistletoe is poison?" he asks. "At least, I think it is. If you eat it, it'll probably kill ya. Unless that was just pets."

"We could test it."

Ladd bursts out laughing at that. "You're so tricky, you know that, doll? One of these days I'm gonna fall for it, if you're not careful! You're way too smart for me, my little angel."

All in all, it's been a good day for the both of them, even if it has just been a quiet day in. Even Ladd can enjoy such a day, if it's spent with her, if he's able to see how happy it makes her. And, sure, if someone were to look at them now, they might not be able to tell that she's happy, but he knows. He knows that, even if she didn't get what she truly wanted for Christmas this year, that she's happy, and that she doesn't mind waiting a little bit longer, if her remaining days are going to be spent like this.

And Ladd knows that, more than anything, he'd like to spend many more Christmases in front of the fireplace, with Lua held tight in his arms.


End file.
